The only passion that has lasted me .....

Let me start with a question first up?  When does one realise that something means more to us than anything else? or let me rephrase... when does one realise that something in life is worth giving up anything for??

There could be as many answers as the people it has been posed to for the simple reason that passion is not a simply defined term that is same for everyone. It differs from person to person. For me personally, passion can be described in word ....  CINEMA
Yes that oft repeated cliche of a word that is very loosely a passion for any person who crosses the streets of this country or  has a respectable job or carries out his daily chores. The first desire any one may have had would be of BECOMING A HERO. In a country driven by the madness of cricket and movies, it is very understandable how ordinary men and women rise up to the level of gods and goddesses. It is nothing but a telling statement on the sheer magnetic power of the beautiful medium of cinema that gives a collective vent to the dreams of millions , the anguish of another billion and delivers hope and joy to trillions worldwide.

My first brush with cinema was in 1989 when my mom and dad took their 4 yr old son(urs truly!!) to Shiela theater in north delhi for the evening show of Sooraj Barjatya's Salman Khan and Bhagyashree starrer Maine Pyaar Kiya. Truth be told, i dont remember much of that experience but i do have vague images of my mom getting teary eyed right before the interval. I evidently wasnt in the frame of mind to understand what the fuss was all about but after seeing the movie again (all grown up now!! :D) it does ring a bell.

My second big movie impact was when I was taken to see the Amitabh Bachchan starrer HUM. Now the pre-release hype for the film was enormous ,riding on Bachchan's comeback and the absolutely foot-tapping crowd pleaser of a song --JUMMA CHUMMA.  My mom and dad being thr biggest Bachchan fans had already made a big hype abt catching it first day first show. As we sat in the seats and the theater began to reverberate with anticipation I felt a thrill that would change my life forever.... and as soon as Amitabh Bachchan appeared as TIGER in all his roaring glory... all hell broke loose.

The impact was too hard to be taken away... At that very moment my passion had been fixed. What intrigued me was , what power does this art-form possess to send millions collectively into a mad frenzy.

Over the years this interest turned passion turned mad obsession has become so overpowering that the biggest high I get is when  film something on camera(digital or otherwise!) , edit it and then show it to the ppl it is intended for!!  
One statement that has left a deep impact on my psyche is by the film-maker avant garde Ram Gopal Verma. Known for his clutter-breaking approach towards creating cinema, when he was questioned about the intention behind making BHOOT, he replied," Bhoot has no ghosts for the first 30 minutes , but those are the most scary parts according to the audience. As a director I love the power of manipulating the collective psyche of a 500 strong audience and seeing how they react if i unsettle them using camera and sound only."

On this journey of understanding cinema and trying to create some of my own , I have discovered a few truths about myself as well. To quote an example my father pawned his books to watch Raj Kapoor's Bobby by travelling to Agra all the way from Faridabad and never took his books back.. and my mother stood for hours outside Kamal Hassan's house just to get a glimpse of him while studying in Chennai. Not to mention, both have seen SHOLAY close to 20 times..

This passion is then.. Genetic I guess...  :)